See that baby in the picture?  That baby is just learning to walk.  Have you ever helped a baby learn to walk?  Well, even if you have never had children yourself, you’ve seen a baby learn to walk, right?  Hold on to that thought.

Reading all about going on a Hero’s Journey on purpose is a great way to prepare yourself.  But now is the time to start doing the Journey.

Inertia might just be the strongest force in the universe (A body at rest tends to remain at rest.)  There are ways of overcoming this force, and it’s easier than you have been thinking.

1. Stop thinking of the end state.  This will only overwhelm you.
2. Start with the smallest step you can possibly think for your first task.  Now go even smaller.  Smaller.  Itty-bitty.  Start with that step.
3. Repeat step 2 until there are no more steps.

I have to give credit to the creative genius that is SARK for this process of micro-movements.  Here’s a link to SARK’s MicroMOVEment Miracle Book. It’s free!

For example, I had a bunch of holes and dings on my porch wall from the previous homeowner’s decorative items. I could have put “paint porch wall” on my to-do list.  But I know me and that kind of task will never get done.  I could have made a list of every step required to get the wall painted.  Yikes!  So instead, on Monday I wrote “put paint can on workbench” on my to-do list.  Wow! awesome.  I got that done.  Tuesday, I thought about the next step and put on my list, “Think about where stir-sticks could be.”  Now honestly, once I started thinking about the stir sticks I went in the garage and found one in the first place I looked.  I set it next to the paint can on the workbench.  I am so getting this done!! Then there was find the paint can opener tool.  Then get a piece of cardboard to set the paint can on; pull out a paintbrush, set the painting stuff on the porch, etc.  By the time I got to painting, I set a timer on my phone, “Siri, set a timer for 20 minutes,” and decided that I could get the actual painting done in 20 minute increments.  Only took two sessions.  Paint waits for you.

This is not the task technique my Dad would have used.  “But, Dad, I still get everything done!”  Maybe you have a paragon of task list completer that you compare yourself to. Is this their Hero’s Journey? No, it is not.  It’s yours.

Remember that baby?  How long should her parents help her learn to walk?  How long should they let her learn to climb?  If she takes two toddling steps and falls back onto her bum, do you say, “Sorry, kid.  No walking for you. Give up.”??? Do you call the kid a loser?  Do you think how pathetic she is?  Of course not.  That is why we call it baby steps!

There are going to be times you think you’re not getting anything done. There will be times you negate these little steps as valuable.  Promise me that you will be as kind to yourself then, as you would be to any baby taking her first steps.

Photo by Alexander Dummer on Unsplash